


The Black Book

by V_Arakawa



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Gen, Historical References, Season/Series 02
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-01
Updated: 2014-05-01
Packaged: 2018-01-21 12:53:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1551176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/V_Arakawa/pseuds/V_Arakawa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas receives a letter about a "black book". Set after episode 2.3, includes SPOILERS up until episode 2.7. Based on actual historical events (with one invented character). </p>
<p>Unbeta'd. First posted here.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Black Book

Downton was far away from the muddy trenches of France. Still, it got icy cold in winter, with the snow piling up in the garden. Thomas hated the winter season in Yorkshire, although his new uniform kept him much warmer than the one he used to wear as a footman.

That particular January night, it was especially cold. It had been snowing since the morning and a freezing wind seemingly straight from the North Pole hit the windows with loud bursts. Even smoking in the courtyard had been uncomfortable. Thomas’ left hand had hurt the whole day, the healing wound responding to the cold. It always did when Thomas didn’t need it to, but he kept it a secret. Sometimes he was amazed by all the things he never talked about. 

For once, Thomas was glad he was no longer a footman (or a valet), so he could retreat to his room long before anybody else. Unfortunately, the meagre chamber was at least as cold as the servants’ hall, and there was no hope to receive at least some warmth from the kitchen. Thomas left his uniform on and wrapped himself in a woollen blanket before climbing under the warming duvet.

He had no interest in going to sleep so early, and fortunately, he had just received a letter from his friend Corporal Stevens in London. They had met in the Leicester Royal Infirmary. The poor lad had lost his left leg in the trenches, but refused to let it drag him down. Thomas heartily appreciated their cheerful conversations after the horrors of the battlefield (and he didn’t mind Stevens’ good looks either). They had exchanged addresses when Thomas was sent back to Downton and they had exchanged a couple of letters. Stevens had found a low-paying typist job in a London office, working for the editor of a small journal. Thomas had noticed that the position seemed to influence Stevens’ behaviour. The cheerfulness of the early letters was mostly gone these days, replaced by page long rants about everything he deemed wrong – especially Lloyd George.

This time, Stevens had even sent a cut-out article from the journal he was working for. “Isn’t it just horrid to think that we fought and shed blood for a nation as undeserving as ours? Read this article, Barrow, it will open your eyes about many things.” Thomas did as told, though mostly because there was nothing else to do. “The nation” didn’t really matter to him, despite the fact that many thought of him as a hero for coming back from the war.

“The Forty-Seven Thousand” by a certain Harold Sherwood Spencer made him cringe. Spencer claimed there was a black book with the names of 47,000 Britons who were blackmailed by the Germans for practicing the vices of “Sodom and Lesbia”. He further revealed that the Germans were seducing young men and women to commit those same sins and betray secrets of the state.

Thomas was used to hearing all kinds of horrid accusations, but this article puzzled him. What was Stevens trying to tell him? Thomas wasn’t sure how much his pen pal knew about his sexual predilections. Thomas might have hinted to it, one night, after too much ale (which was apparently not the helpful medicine some claimed it to be). But Stevens had been drunk as well, so who knows what he remembered about that incident.

Thomas didn’t need much imagination to know that if the article told the truth, he could be in serious trouble. While he knew no secrets of the state (to his knowledge), he had been working for the Earl of Grantham, a member of the House of Lords. He had served quite an array of politicians during dinner in London; maybe he had unknowingly witnessed something? Was Stevens trying to warn him? 

Or was Stevens trying to blackmail him himself? He could claim that Thomas had been seduced by a German agent. Thomas had been interested in men long before he had ever set foot in a large city, but if it came to a trial, there was no way he could prove that his first encounter had not been with a German agent. Gregory had claimed to be from Lancashire and had had a matching accent, but a really good agent might be able to fake that. But even if Thomas could prove that Gregory wasn’t German, what would it matter? Admitting to buggery with another man was enough to get him into prison and then into penal labour – the Wilde trial which had excited even the smallest country houses had proven that.

Or maybe Stevens was actually sympathetic – unlikely as it may seem. Was he trying to warn Thomas? Was he trying to tell him that he should get married to avert suspicion? Thomas was certain no one around Downton knew about his inclination, so a marriage to a housemaid or a farm girl from the village might actually work. Well, neither of them would be very happy afterwards, but at least the threat of prison would be gone.

Then again – could that article really be trusted? Thomas had never seen the _Imperialist_ being sold in London, but since at Downton they were only ever interested in the _Times_ , he had never had any reason to look for other papers. For a brief second, Thomas wondered whether he should ask O’Brien what she knew about the _Imperialist_ , but he quickly decided against it – O’Brien wasn’t really interested in journals, save for the _Sketch_ and _The Lady_ (not that those actually counted as serious publications).

In the end, Thomas opted for the easiest solution to his possible problem: to do nothing. It was probably foolish, but there was really nothing he could do without revealing why exactly he was (maybe) in trouble. The article and the things it talked about would hopefully soon be dead and buried.

Unfortunately, Stevens wouldn’t let Thomas forget about them. He started to practically bombard him with letters about the trial of his boss, a certain Noel Pemberton Billing. The editor-in-chief of the _Imperialist_ -turned- _Vigilante_ was a Member of the House of Commons. Stevens seemed to assume that Lord Grantham knew him, but Thomas was fairly certain that his lordship had no interest in the opinions of lowly politicians such as Billing. He was actually glad about this, because Billing seemed to be a highly unsympathetic person. He had even accused Maud Allan of being a lesbian, and was now being sued by her. Thomas remembered having seen Allan’s performance in _The Rug Maker’s Daughter_ and while not particularly impressed by it (or the movie as a whole), he thought she hadn’t looked like someone with a sexual interest in other women.

Thomas tried to discourage Stevens from writing so much by sending simple one-liner replies like “Read that article. Interesting.” Unfortunately, Stevens didn’t take the hint and just continued writing long letters, some of which read like word-by-word transcriptions of the trial. By now, Thomas merely skimmed the lines, in case Stevens wrote anything about the black book that might indicate whether Thomas was in any danger. Instead he found further proof that Stevens’ employer was better not trusted – one of his witnesses even accused Herbert Asquith’s wife of sharing her bed with other women. Thomas had served the Asquiths once or twice in the past, and nothing could have been more implausible (despite Mrs. Asquith’s often outrageous opinions).

When Mr. Matthew and William returned wounded from the trenches, Thomas finally had other matters to occupy his mind. Stevens continued to send him letters, but he threw them away without even opening them. That black book might exist, but the ridiculous trial proved that it was nothing he had to worry about.

On the fourth day of June, Thomas suddenly received a telegram from Stevens: “Billing acquitted of all charges stop Enthusiastic praise from public stop Will come to Downton Abbey to discuss matters”. Thomas was alarmed. Stevens coming to Downton? To discuss the black book? To threaten Thomas? Impossible! Immediately, he returned a telegram to London: “Visits currently inconvenient stop Convalescent home for officers cannot accommodate you stop Please postpone visit until further notice”. Unfortunately, Stevens wasn’t convinced by this. Thomas cursed himself for not spending more money and sending a longer refusal. Instead, Stevens talked (well, wrote) him into meeting in the pub of Downton village.

And despite Thomas’ hopes to the contrary, Stevens actually came in early July. The pub was packed with villagers, but the two men in uniform earned quite a lot of attention – especially since Stevens got louder and louder with every ale he consumed.

“This victory is just the beginning. We might have proved that Allan is involved with the Germans, but that leaves 46,999 people who still go about their business unharmed!”

“I see…” Thomas didn’t even try to pretend he was interested in Stevens’ tirade.

“Mr. Billing has founded the Vigilante Society to fight for political honour. We are taking a stand where Lloyd George just closes his eyes!”

“A society, how nice…”

“We’re already strong, but the more people join, the better a chance we have to promote our ideals. You must become a member, Barrow, you’ve seen the trenches, the atrocities committed by those bloody Germans!”

“I’m not very… political.”

“This isn’t about politics, Barrow, this is about loving your country! Doing what’s best for England and the King!”

“Well…”

“The Germans are willing to do everything to destroy us! They’re seducing the young and the old! We can’t let that happen! Buggery has brought us here, we have to get rid of it and save the nation!”

“I’m not sure I quite agree with that—“

“Of course, because you have no idea what’s going on in London! If you just went down there for a day you’d see it with your own eyes: the secret clubs where vice and sin rule, the exotic dancers, the foreigners who call themselves ‘scientists’. Sometimes I think God has abandoned the Church of England…”

In his mind, Thomas wandered through the streets of London, but he couldn’t quite understand what Stevens meant. He fondly remembered the city. In fact, the London season was one of the things he missed most these days. Those few weeks of bliss had always cheered him up, and he cherished the memory of every single man he had met in the oh-so-sinful secret clubs.

Stevens finally began to notice that Thomas wasn’t convinced by his opinions and had no intent whatsoever to join the Vigilante Society. He quaffed off his last ale and began to distribute applications for membership among the other guests of the pub. Thomas doubted that any of them would join – for these people, London could very well have been in a completely different country. 

Stevens left Downton the next morning, but the whole matter didn’t settle. Just two weeks later, Lord Grantham received a letter from Billing himself. Thomas immediately registered his lordship’s indignation when he read the typed pages in the great hall.

“I can’t believe this. An MP I’ve never even had a conversation with sends me a letter and asks for my support for his political society.”

Lady Edith, who was about to distribute some books to the convalescing officers, stopped curiously when she heard this. “What kind of society is it? Maybe it’s worth our time.” 

“Something about the Germans blackmailing—well, deviant individuals.” Of course Lord Grantham didn’t want to use any more obvious descriptions in front of his daughter. “Apparently, there’s a book with the names of 47,000 individuals.”

“That doesn’t sound very convincing. And it’s quite a strange cause for a political society.” Lady Edith was a clever girl, despite what everyone seemed to believe. 

“Exactly. There are more immediate matters we have to worry about.” And with that, Lord Grantham tore the letter in half.

Thomas was of course relieved to hear this. But he quickly reminded himself that this didn’t mean that Lord Grantham approved of his sexual inclinations. If it ever came to a trial against Thomas, his lordship wouldn’t be caught dead in the witness stand.

Indeed, Lord Grantham and Thomas were soon proven right in their suspiciousness when the prime witness in Billing’s trial admitted that her “testimony” had been completely made up. There was no black book and Mrs. Asquith was a happily married woman.

When the Great War ended two months later and Thomas decided to try his luck on the black market, he remembered Stevens. He wasn’t quite comfortable writing to a man with such radical political opinions, but he reasoned that an organization as large as the Vigilante Society might have acquainted Stevens with someone who would be able to supply Thomas with food. With a heavy heart, he wrote to the man and indeed got a letter back. In it, Stevens informed him that after losing his post at the _Vigilante_ du to the scandal about the fake testimony, he had left the Vigilante Society and had joined another society called The Britons. Thomas had never heard of this one either, but he was happy to read that Stevens had indeed an acquaintance in Leeds who could provide him with supplies.

Thomas spent every penny in his possession on the goods from the bloke in Leeds, only to learn soon afterwards that he had bought inedible rubbish. He was furious – not only about himself for being so foolish, but also about Stevens who had seemingly taken revenge on Thomas for his disinterest in political causes.

Enraged, Thomas sat down and penned a letter to Stevens. He couldn’t very well blackmail the man who might or might not know about Thomas’ inclinations, but at least he could write down some insults to calm down a little.

But even the satisfaction of sending this letter was thwarted. A week after putting it into the mail, the letter was returned to him unopened, with a note that the recipient was deceased. As Thomas found out later, Stevens had mistakenly been shot by a member of the obscure “Britons” in a pub fight the group had gotten in. It bloody well served Stevens right, but Thomas feared that his opinions would remain alive in other minds across the country. God might not have left the Church of England, but he definitely wasn’t looking out for Thomas.


End file.
